~120 cal · 2g protein · 27g carbs · 1g fat (estimated, per serving)
🍽️
Cup of cloudy fermented maize drink
🇿🇲 Lusaka
Munkoyo takes its name from the wild roots used to ferment it: a thin maize porridge is mixed with pounded munkoyo root and left to sour into a cloudy, gently effervescent, mildly sweet drink. A staple across Zambia's countryside, it is both refreshment and nourishment in the fields.
Sign in to save recipes to your book and leave reviews.
Make it yours
Toggle a diet and the ingredients rewrite themselves with regional substitutes.
🥕 Vegetarian
🌱 Vegan
🌾 Gluten-Free
🥛 Dairy-Free
🥜 Nut-Free
🥚 Egg-Free
Ingredients
Serves 6 —
•
1 cup maize meal
•
8 cups water
•
1/4 cup munkoyo root (or malted grain, to ferment)
•
1/4 cup sugar, to taste
Instructions
1
Whisk the maize meal into 2 cups cold water, then cook into a thin porridge with 6 cups boiling water.
2
Cool to lukewarm, then stir in the pounded munkoyo root (or malt) to start fermentation.
3
Cover and leave in a warm place 1–2 days until cloudy, gently fizzy, and mildly sweet-sour.
4
Strain, sweeten lightly if you like, and serve cool.
Zambian countryside tradition.
Ratings & reviews
Sign in to rate this recipe once you’ve cooked it.
No reviews yet — be the first to cook it.
🌏 While it simmers — know your destination
📍
Lusaka. Where every plate is anchored by a mound of nshima.
🗺️
Zambia. Copperbelt country built around a bowl of nshima.
🌍
Africa. Fifty-four countries of tagines, stews, and fire-kissed grills.
The story behind this dish is up top — worth a read while the pot works.
👩🍳
Richard Moore & Kelsey Tucker
Recipes cooked, tested, and researched by the creators of Spin the Globe. How we build our recipes →
More from Zambia
Nshima with Ifisashi
Stiff maize porridge served with greens simmered in a creamy ground-peanut sauce.
Vitumbuwa
Lightly sweet Zambian rice-flour fritters, crisp outside and fluffy within, for breakfast with tea.